Library Lens

Located in the new Polish Room on the second floor of Abbott Library on the University at Buffalo’s South Campus, this distinctive stained glass and wrought-iron lamp is a treasured piece of the collection. Crafted by the renowned Polish-American artist Józef Mazur, the lamp was donated to the University in 1955 by Mazur and his wife, Stefa. The lamp features vivid depictions of celebrated Polish cultural figures, including Frédéric Chopin, Adam Mickiewicz, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Juliusz Słowacki. Photo: Douglas Levere

Portrait of Jackson Gray, a mechanical engineering student and relative of astronaut and UB alumnus Greg Jarvis. Photographed in April 2025 in UB Libraries Special Collections in Capen Hall, Gray stands alongside items honoring Jarvis’s legacy. Among them is a gold-fringed UB flag that Jarvis took aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. Recovered intact from the wreckage and later returned to the university by Jarvis’s widow, the flag is now preserved in the University Archives as a powerful symbol of pride, remembrance and Jarvis’s lasting connection to UB. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Students gather around a shared workspace on the third floor of Lockwood Memorial Library, taking advantage of the open seating and natural light to study, connect and recharge. Photo: Julie Pavlock

UB Libraries and a member of the UB Votes team meet with students on National Voter Registration Day in Lockwood Memorial Library in September 2024. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

The new entrance to the Oscar A. Silverman Library opened in summer 2024, offering students, faculty and visitors easier access to the library’s services and resources. Located on the second floor of Capen Hall along the academic spine, the entrance is designed to enhance the overall library experience. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Late summer blooms on the flowers around Abbott Library on South Campus in August 2024. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Hope Dunbar (left) and Deb Chiarella show off their friendship brackets at “In Our Poetry Era: Celebrate the Pre-Release of The Tortured Poets Department,” a one-day event held in April 2024 in Special Collections. Co-organized by members of the Poetry Collection, Music Library, and the Libraries’ Student Library Engagement Workgroup (SLEW), the event invited attendees to explore and celebrate the literary canon of Taylor Swift. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

The university mace — the ornamental staff used in academic processions and at the College of Arts and Sciences’ commencement ceremonies – was photographed in a studio setting in the Special Collections Library in Capen Hall in May 2024. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki